The invention relates to a machine for the treatment of bulk material in a drum mounted on axially spaced bearing rings. Machines of this type are used in various processes for the treatment of bulk materials. As used herein the term `bulk material` designates in general, pourable material which is to be treated, which during treatment may be relatively dry, wet, cold or hot, and distributed with different degrees of uniformity on the circumference of the treatment drum.
Such a treatment machine is exemplified by a washing centrifuge for a pourable chemical product, or by a machine for the cleaning or other treatment of textiles or garments. The washing, wetting or treatment of the material may be carried out alternately with cold or hot means. As charges to be treated, materials of up to several hundred kilograms may be found. A machine of this kind is the subject matter of published British Patent Specification No. GB 2 051 883 A.
Under the various treatment conditions, the drum can be stressed mechanically and/or thermally in a number of ways. An imbalance of varying extent can be found in operation, with irregular distribution of the material in the drum, and a change in the diameter of the treatment drum due to expansion or shrinkage of the drum material caused thermally or mechanically. If the range of treatment conditions for a machine varies over a wide range, especially if a large mass of bulk material is to be treated in the drum from a stand-still to high rotational speeds, the machines of this type to date are liable to breakdown during operation. Such machines can thus be unreliable, and in some cases become unusable.
Effective means of mounting and driving the treatment drum over a wide range of operating conditions in rotary machines have not been satisfactorily devized to date and accordingly machines of this type are usually only able to be used in a restricted range of application.